This invention relates to automobile gasoline pump actuating handles, and it is an object of the invention to provide an improved actuating handle of this nature which substantially reduces the likelihood of cheating by unscrupulous operators or customers of the gasoline pumps.
In recent times, self service gasoline pumps have become the vogue in automobile service stations. Typically, in such installations, the customer or person buying gasoline, herein sometimes called the "operator" drives into a service station and stops his automobile adjacent to a particular pump. The pump indicating dials usually, if not always, show the numbers applicable to the preceding transaction, even though the pump has been released for use by the operator. It is, of course, possible for the service station attendant to set the indicating dials to zero at about the time that the attendant releases the pump after use by a particular operator. However, in most instances, as indicated, the pump is reset for use by a subsequent operator but the dials are not reset to zero. The reason for this is practical as may be explained. The pump actuating lever, when released by the attendant, can be turned from its vertical position to its horizontal position (counter-clockwise) after the pump nozzle is removed from its recess. Part way through the indicated motion, the pump itself is actually turned on and the dials reset themselves to zero with the exception of the dials showing the cost in dollars per gallon for each gallon of gasoline. To have the pump indicating dials set to zero and have the pump actuating handle in its vertical position either locked or unlocked requires additional operations on the part of the service station attendant as described, and as a result the pump indicating dials are usually not set to zero before a customer comes in to use the pump.
This may be visualized further by considering the sequence of operations when an operator comes in to the service station to purchase gasoline. In such instance, as has already been indicated, the operator removes the pump handle from its recess, puts the nozzle into the tank opening and rotates the pump actuating handle counter-clockwise by ninety degrees from its vertical to its horizontal position. This, of course, assumes that the service station attendant has released the actuating handle. If not, the service station attendant will come to the pump, insert a key and release the handle following which the indicated motion takes place. In moving the actuating handle or lever from its vertical to its horizontal position the gasoline pump is actually energized and the dials are set to zero.
Thereafter, the operator depresses the handle on the pump nozzle initiating gasoline flow into the automobile tank until the desired amount of gasoline has been pumped whereupon the operator releases the handle on the pump nozzle and the gasoline flow stops. The indicating dials at this point indicate the number of gallons pumped and the dollar value thereof. The operator then rotates the pump actuating handle from its horizontal position to its vertical position which movement removes the handle obstruction from the pump nozzle recess and the operator may replace the nozzle into that recess. In this same motion, the pump is de-energized but the indicating dials remain as they were in order to show the transaction so that the service station attendant can come over and charge the operator for the gasoline taken. When the actuating handle has been moved to its vertical position, it becomes locked there and cannot be moved again for a subsequent operator until the handle has been released by the service station attendant. This, the attendant does by inserting the key into an appropriate opening in the pump actuating handle, turning the key to release the handle so that its subsequent operator may come in and take gasoline from the pump. In this initial operation by the attendant, that is to release the pump actuating handle, the dials do not reset to zero but remain showing the just occurred transaction. If the attendant wishes to reset the dials to zero so that they show zero transaction for the next operator, it is necessary for the attendant to remove the nozzle from its recess, rotate the actuating handle some portion counter-clockwise, such for example sixty degrees of the total ninety degree movement available. This movement resets the dials to zero and of course turns the pump on so that it could pump gasoline. Thereupon the attendant returns the handle to its vertical position which deactivates the pump, he replaces the pump nozzle in its recess and inserts his key into the provided opening in the pump actuating handle and rotates the key to release the handle. The pump is now in condition for pumping gasoline for another operator and the dials are at zero.
It is to be emphasized however that in this description of the necessary operating steps, two releases of the pump actuating handle are required as well as a partial rotation of the pump actuating handle and a return to its vertical position with the concomitant necessary to remove the pump nozzle from its recess and to replace it. As a result of these required additional steps, it is most usual for service station attendants merely to release the handle in order that subsequent operation can take place without going to the additional steps required to reset the dials to zero. Accordingly, the dials are not reset to zero until the next operator removes the pump nozzle from its recess and rotates the pump actuating handle from its vertical to its horizontal positon.
The foregoing steps and conditions make it possible for unscrupulous individuals to cheat and defraud the service station owner and attendants. When there are two or more pumps in a line or an island in the service station, an unscrupulous operator can drive in to one pump and take gasoline from it, for example ten gallons, replace the pump nozzle in its recess after turning the pump off by the operating handle, and move ahead to another pump which shows the gasoline taken by the previous operator or customer. Assume that the dials in the second instance are less than the indication on the dials of the pump actually used by the unscrupulous operator, he can then say to the attendant at the service station that he took gasoline only from the second pump. While upon investigation it may be established that this could not be the case because the first pump used by the unscrupulous operator has its actuating handle locked whereas the second does not; or in an alternative situation if the unscrupulous operator has actually taken a small amount of gasoline from the second pump, the attendant is then faced with two pumps from which the indicating dials show that gasoline has been taken and the unscrupulous operator insists that he has taken only from the second pump. In order to avoid this kind of disagreement between customer and attendant, it is desirable that whenever the pump handle is released, the indicating dials be reset to zero. Thus, when an unscrupulous operator comes in and takes gasoline from one pump and moves forward to a second pump and takes gasoline from that, he cannot argue with the attendant that he did not take gasoline from both pumps because the dials would otherwise be at zero. While this is not a fool-proof condition or situation, it nevertheless removes one substantial source of argument found by the inventor to be the case, and it substantially reduces the likelihood of cheating by such unscrupulous operators of the gasoline pumps.